Saudi government reopens Nabawi Mosque for tarawih prayers

Checks by Bernama at the mosque revealed that thorough preparations had been made to ensure the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) would be adhered to.

Yesterday, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Raja Salman bin Abdulaziz decided to allow tarawih prayers to be performed at Masjidil Haram in Makkah and Nabawi Mosque, where the number of rakaats would be reduced to 10 compared to 20 as practised previously.

However, the Saudi government imposed strict rules on the worshippers including requiring them to register via the Tawakkalna application downloaded on their mobile phones, bring their own prayer mat, wear face masks and observe the physical distancing rule.

According to the country's Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Da'wah and Guidance in a statement quoted by SPA, tarawih prayers and qiamullail (voluntary night prayer) will be combined and should not be more than 30 minutes in all mosques in Saudi Arabia.

The ministry said the decision was made to reduce the duration that worshippers spend inside mosques and to avoid high rates of infection.

Last year, the Saudi government cancelled tarawih prayers at the two holy mosques in Makkah and Madinah in its efforts to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.